Although the presently disclosed embodiments will find application in a wide variety of lamp applications, it is instructive to review the trailer marker lamp application. Trailer manufacturers have designed rows of marker lamps located on trailers, such as commercial semi trailers to name just one non-limiting example, for appearance. In some cases, trailer manufacturers wish to flash one or more of these marker lamps when the vehicle operator activates the turn or hazard function flashes. To enable this, dual intensity marker lamps have been developed. The low intensity (or minor) function meets the marker lamp photometric requirements, and the high intensity (or major) function is brighter. Alternating activation of the low and high intensity functions causes the marker lamp to exhibit a flashing appearance.
These dual intensity marker lamps are more expensive to manufacture, require a second part number for the customer (i.e. a part number that is different than that used for the single intensity marker lamp), and have three terminals or wires in the lamp (minor, major and ground). Typically, the design goal for such dual intensity marker lamps is as much intensity difference between the minor and major function as possible, which results in a lower intensity minor function—or a dimmer marker than a standard single intensity marker lamp. Some trailer designers have placed an entire row of marker lamps along the side of a trailer. Using a dual intensity marker lamp in such a row of single intensity marker lamps results in one lamp that does not exactly match the others in intensity, even when all are being operated with the lower intensity minor function. This results in a non-uniform, undesirable appearance.
Trailer manufacturers and designers would prefer a flashing solution that uses standard single intensity marker lamps. These single intensity marker lamps have two terminals or wires in the lamp, namely power and ground.
Additionally, it is desirable that any solution to this problem also minimize or eliminate changes necessary to the vehicle wiring harness.